Great day at Lincoln

[Boatloadakids]

Teamed up with grandson and his daughters (my great granddaughters) to find some action for the girls at Lincoln. Plan was to find some white bass and/or mudders for the girls to try out their new fishing poles. They were using small hooks with a small piece of carp for bait. No mudders and no white bass but the girls hauled in 15 hefty cats, biggest two were 28 inchers. They were using 6 pound test line so it took some creative drag adjustments to rassle the fish to the net. Dad and I did not fish because we were too busy baiting and tying on new hooks. 

Most of the fish were ugly, beat up males. The few females they caught were thin and appeared to be spawned out or they may have just gone without love this year. Fished on the bottom in about 4 fow. Best trip of the year so far.

[Cowboypirate]

Love them photos. Smiles by the miles

[wiperhunter2]

Looks like you and the Gkids had a great time, thanks for sharing your trip and pics.

[Kent]

Always great to see the kids having a great time.

[TubeDude]

Way to go, young man.  I think we owe ourselves a trip one of these days.  You stake out some bigguns and I will come down and gang up on them with ya.  I've been spending too much time on Willard and it is getting stingy now.  Time for finding some friendlier water.

[Boatloadakids]

Way to go, young man.  I think we owe ourselves a trip one of these days.  You stake out some bigguns and I will come down and gang up on them with ya.  I've been spending too much time on Willard and it is getting stingy now.  Time for finding some friendlier water.

Hey, any time you need some instructions on how to ketch the bigguns I stand ready to help. 

Kinda been slim pickin's for me lately. I've been able to find a few but lots of "seeking" to find them. Still trying to figure them out. Seems like all the water we have now has changed them up a bit, don't know if they are still lovin' or beginning to disperse out to deeper water. Goshen Bay has had some good fish but they seem to have moved out -- at least for me. Grandson caught a nice 30 incher there from shore 2-3 weeks ago. The Knolls area has been semi-good and should get better. Plenty of water there to launch yak or tube. My boat has had some medical problems that I think I have fixed so tube and yak might be better until I have more confidence in my fixin'. As mentioned in my post, there seems to be a bunch of uglies around the springs so maybe things are about to pick up a bit. Had a blast watching my ggdaughters ketching those big cats on their whimpy Walmart rods. They all want up graded rigs now. Mission begun.

Enyhow, I'm ready when you are.




30 incher, Goshen Bay

[HuntNFishUT]

That looks like a great day!

[TubeDude]

Most waters in this part of the state...and apparently most fish...have been exhibiting changeover syndrome.  The higher water and longer, colder, windier spring have the fish discombobulated...and often delayed in their normal routines.  But it seems like things are leveling out and mellowing out and the fish are becoming more active...I hope.

It is great to see the ponds all full again.  We can only hope we have a few decent winters to follow to keep them up.  The upside of the current conditions is that spawning and recruitment for all species should be much better.  That bodes well for the next few years but may not show much better results for the rest of this year.

Really would like to do a tube/yak meetup with ya...maybe at the knolls.  It is so much better for launching and fishing with the water level up.  Almost impossible at the end of a long dry period.  With the new rules about not being able to drive your vehicle out on the exposed lakebed to launch it is too much hassle for getting all the gear down to the water...and then having to slog through deep sticky mud for 100 yards to get afloat.

Got another spot to hit this week but let's work on something for next week.  Have your peeps contact my peeps and we'll put a plan together.

[Boatloadakids]

Most waters in this part of the state...and apparently most fish...have been exhibiting changeover syndrome.  The higher water and longer, colder, windier spring have the fish discombobulated...and often delayed in their normal routines.  But it seems like things are leveling out and mellowing out and the fish are becoming more active...I hope.

It is great to see the ponds all full again.  We can only hope we have a few decent winters to follow to keep them up.  The upside of the current conditions is that spawning and recruitment for all species should be much better.  That bodes well for the next few years but may not show much better results for the rest of this year.

Really would like to do a tube/yak meetup with ya...maybe at the knolls.  It is so much better for launching and fishing with the water level up.  Almost impossible at the end of a long dry period.  With the new rules about not being able to drive your vehicle out on the exposed lakebed to launch it is too much hassle for getting all the gear down to the water...and then having to slog through deep sticky mud for 100 yards to get afloat.

Got another spot to hit this week but let's work on something for next week.  Have your peeps contact my peeps and we'll put a plan together.

Sounds good. Will continue in stand by mode....

[catdaddygar]

Be happy we have water this year and you have a chance to figure it out. We caught and released at lest 6 or 10 plus channels. Had a fun time took 2 home for dinner all the rest went back for another time.

[Tin-Can]

Hey BLK that's a good looking haul for those kids.   I'm assuming if you got out from LB, the water level is deep enough. 
I need to try a trip down before the water dries up from the heat wave coming.  
Have not been very successful at Willard... can't find my kitties with all that new water.  I think I may have seen TD getting off water a week or so ago, and I didn't see him stop at the cleaning station, so maybe Willard fed him one of my skunks.....

[TubeDude]

Hey BLK that's a good looking haul for those kids.   I'm assuming if you got out from LB, the water level is deep enough. 
I need to try a trip down before the water dries up from the heat wave coming.  
Have not been very successful at Willard... can't find my kitties with all that new water.  I think I may have seen TD getting off water a week or so ago, and I didn't see him stop at the cleaning station, so maybe Willard fed him one of my skunks.....

My last two trips to Willard have been "near misses"...only one cat each trip.  But still no skunks this year...so far.   Gonna be looking for more productive waters for awhile.

[ELM 71]

Most waters in this part of the state...and apparently most fish...have been exhibiting changeover syndrome.  The higher water and longer, colder, windier spring have the fish discombobulated...and often delayed in their normal routines.  But it seems like things are leveling out and mellowing out and the fish are becoming more active...I hope.

It is great to see the ponds all full again.  We can only hope we have a few decent winters to follow to keep them up.  The upside of the current conditions is that spawning and recruitment for all species should be much better.  That bodes well for the next few years but may not show much better results for the rest of this year.

Really would like to do a tube/yak meetup with ya...maybe at the knolls.  It is so much better for launching and fishing with the water level up.  Almost impossible at the end of a long dry period.  With the new rules about not being able to drive your vehicle out on the exposed lakebed to launch it is too much hassle for getting all the gear down to the water...and then having to slog through deep sticky mud for 100 yards to get afloat.

Got another spot to hit this week but let's work on something for next week.  Have your peeps contact my peeps and we'll put a plan together.

if yall make it out to the Knolls hope ya do well. I'm headed to Oklahoma friday hoping to get into some big bass. 
be safe my friends.

[Boatloadakids]

Hey BLK that's a good looking haul for those kids.   I'm assuming if you got out from LB, the water level is deep enough. 
I need to try a trip down before the water dries up from the heat wave coming.  
Have not been very successful at Willard... can't find my kitties with all that new water.  I think I may have seen TD getting off water a week or so ago, and I didn't see him stop at the cleaning station, so maybe Willard fed him one of my skunks.....

Water in the channel is around five feet deep. No trouble launching. Much better than last year when you could wade across the channel in knee high boots. Average depth of most of the lake is around 10 feet or so, even Goshen Bay has six-foot depths. The fish are happy, I am happy.